Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Tue Oct 31 2023 00:24:16

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2023 October 31
    The center of the Wizard Nebula is shown featuring gas glowing in red
   and dust reflecting in blue. Dark dust pillars are seen throughout the
      image. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                       Halloween and the Wizard Nebula
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Richard McInnis

   Explanation: Halloween's origin is ancient and astronomical. Since the
   fifth century BC, Halloween has been celebrated as a cross-quarter day,
   a day halfway between an equinox (equal day / equal night) and a
   solstice (minimum day / maximum night in the northern hemisphere). With
   a modern calendar however, even though Halloween occurs today, the real
   cross-quarter day will occur next week. Another cross-quarter day is
   Groundhog Day. Halloween's modern celebration retains historic roots in
   dressing to scare away the spirits of the dead. Perhaps a fitting
   tribute to this ancient holiday is this closeup view of the Wizard
   Nebula (NGC 7380). Visually, the interplay of stars, gas, and dust has
   created a shape that appears to some like a fictional ancient sorcerer.
   Although the nebula may last only a few million years, some of the
   stars being conjured from the gas by the great gravitational powers may
   outlive our Sun.

                        Tomorrow's picture: sun block
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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